Lesson Planning Institute

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This page is for the Lesson Planning Institute 2012.
LPI Session 1.ppt
LPI Session 2.ppt
LPI Session 3.ppt

Introduction


A Lesson Plan is not a schedule of events or an agenda to follow. It is a plan for student learning, that answers these key questions:
  • What will students learn?
  • To what degree will they learn? To what depth and breadth?
  • How will they acquire this learning?
  • How will they demonstrate this learning?

Writing Aims & Objectives


Instructional Objectives - statements of what the students will know and be able to do at the end of a lesson/unit.
Aim - the goal/objective of the lesson, written for students, in the form of a question.

Start with the STANDARDS you must cover in your curriculum, organized around big ideas/essential questions. It may help to take apart learning standards to separate the verbs from nouns (content). This should directly relate to your Objectives. Think of activities (tasks) to achieve Objectives. Objectives must be set before tasks; otherwise, we focus on the activity and may not really know if it is really valuable as a learning objective.

Verbs to use for Objectives:
List, Identify, Rephrase, Tell, Define, Explain, Draw, Solve, Describe, Compare, Contrast, Create, Summarize, Diagram, Design, Evaluate

Characteristics of Good Objectives:
  • They are clear & specific
  • They focus on thinking
  • Their mastery can be demonstrated
  • They are measurable
  • They are aligned with standards

Curriculum/Big Ideas & Essential Questions - Resources Links:
New Jersey Standards page
Pennsylvania Curriculum page

Aligning Assessments/Tasks with Aims/Objectives



Questioning


PBS Resources for Questions & More (by content).

Guidelines for Wording of Questions:
  • “Set the Stage” with questions of known, related content
  • Keep recall questions in introductory stage
  • Define content vocabulary terms & practice its use in questioning
  • Build an argument or exploration; track toward a conclusion
  • Relate these terms to big ideas, common experiences, or general usage

Questioning & Engagement (of the entire class):
  • Prepare a chain of student contribution, responses, reactions, alternatives, divergence, etc.
  • Randomize or shake-up questioning procedures
  • Make small group exercises modeled on questioning & exploration
  • Give space to introverts by allowing for alternative or varied responses

Sharing the Learning:
  • Try to create a non-judgmental environment
  • Keep a conversational tone, but use ‘theatrics’ to emphasize key ideas
  • Model Active Listening (summarizing a student response in your own words)
  • Invite students to recap a fellow student’s response (Active Listening)
  • Relate the learning to Big Ideas or Essential Questions

Differentiation